I have undifferentiated autoimmune disease, is fat transfer ok for me?

Question

I am almost 60, and have lost 3 stone in weight, with three more to go. I want to have some work done to keep my face younger looking, and would like to wait until the full impact of the weight loss can be seen.

But, one problem, I have undifferentiated auto-immune disease, so would like to know is fat transfer ok for people like me? I would like my eyes done, surgery top and fat transfer in the tear troughs, would this be advisable?

As I said I am still 3 stones short of my target, so I am looking maybe march for work to begin. Is there any way I could undergo a small test of lipo and fat transfer to an unsee part of my body to see if I am ok with both the procedures?

Answer

The 1st thing to say would be that in a situation like yours communication with your rheumatology specialist is of utmost importance, in determining the safety of surgical intervention for your health.

I'm not aware of any difference between fat graft take in common situations and in people with differentiated autoimmune disease, but I see no reason why fat grafts would not take the same way.

The biggest concerns are related to the risks of bleeding, infection, deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and that they would need to be quantified as much as possible before deciding about surgery.

It is of course possible to do a test treatment to a less visible area, and I would also mention that for management of the tear trough, nonsurgical treatments like hyaluronic acid injections represent a viable alternative.